Refrigerating system



Patented May 9, 1922,v

W. W. ROBINSON.4 .REFRIGEHA'TING SYSTEM. APPLICATION FILED JULY 5| 192|.

WALTER W. ROBINSON, BELOIT, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF TO` BENJAMIN F. LYONS, OIF

BELOIT, WISCONSIN.

REFRIGERATING SYSTEM.

Application filed-July 5, 1921.

To all whom t may concem.'

Be it known that I, WAL'mR W. vROBIN- soN, a citizen of the United States, residing 1n invented certain new land useful Improvements in Refrigerating Systems, of which the following is a specification.

My present improvements relate more particularly to systems for inducing refrigeration through compression, condensation and expansion of a reri'geratingmedium, for instance ammonia' gas, NH3.

Its principal objects are to providea sys-- tem or apparatus which has a high factor of safety when installed, one in which there may be a notable reduction of the effective relative size or capacity of the prime mover over such as have been ordinarily employed, and in which severe strains upon the prime mover in starting are avoided, these advantages arising chiey from provisions which result in what may be a substantial i equalization of the pressure at particular times between the high-pressure and lowpressure sides of the device or in any event which result in reduction of the pressure in the high-pressure side. A further object is to attain the mentioned equalization or reduction of. pressure automatically as the occasion arises therefor. It is an object also to provide an automatic control for the gascooling medium, usually a liquid and ordinarily water,` and, according to the specific .application herein illustrated, to provide means under the control of the gas-cooling medium for normally maintaining the circulation of the gas-cooling medium, and also for throwing into effect a shunt or by-pass for the refrigerating medium between the igh-pressure and low-pressure sides when the supply of the gas-cooling medium is cut olf or materially reduced. A further ob- `ject is to provide a device in which the desired safety against undue internal pressure may be had without loss of the refrigerating medium. The general object is to provide a device of the character described which is highly eilicient, safe and economical, and which may well be in the form of a small machine adapted for household use when so desired.

' In the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, the single fi re represents the system or device compelte, but in a substantially diagrammatic way as to size Speciication of Letters Patent.

Beloit, Rock County, Wisconsin, have Patented May 9, 1922. Serial No. 482,459,

and arrangement of the parts, the several parts being shown as widely separated for clearness of illustration.

y improved system as illustrated vherein includes a circuit forthe refrigerating me dium, having a condenser and means for supplying a gas-cooling medium thereto and which for description may be assumed to be water, a compressor, and a pressure-regulating; valve for establishingV a high-pressure side and a low-pressure side, all broadly according to'hitherto well known practice. 'IGhat is to say, so far as the units are consldered broadly it is-.old to provide a compressor as 10,a motoras l1 for driving it, a pipe coil as, 12 in a water tank 13, a pressure-regulatingvalve'lli, an expansion coil 15, and pipes 17 and 18 leading back to the compressor forming a circuit for the refri erating medium. 1

ccording to the particular form or compresser 10 illustrated the gaseous refrigerating medium ,passes through the spring-controlled poppet valve 17 4inlthe piston and thence through the", similar valve 18 into the pipe connection 19 and thence through the condenser, etc., returning to the chamber 20 of the compressorpthrough the pipe 18 'as shown.

The pressure-regulating valve 14 may be considered as of any approved-form and is a device which impedes the How of the refrigerating medium whereby the desired high pressure is obtained in the condenser coll 12 and, in general, in the pipe means between the valve 14 and thel the connection ,19, this part 'of the system being the high-pressure side. The low-pressure side of the system is the pipe means including the"expansion coil 15 and the or to expand from the compressed forml accompanied by the absorption of heat units in the vicinity of the coil 15, theueby compressor at.

reducing the temperature in the refrigerator 21, such abstracted heat units being carried by the refrigerating medium to the compressor and thence to the condenser and there abstracted by the gas-cooling medium constantly being supplied to the tank and discharged through the pipe 23. In respect to the sequence of operations and arrangement of units the foregoing description is in accordance with what is well known.

Assuming the gas-cooling medium to be water in the device illustrated, it is supplied by a pipe 25 and enters the valve 26 passing therefrom through the pipe 27. Between the inlet and outlet of the valve 26 is the valve head 28 on the stem 29 adapted to be moved up and down and the valve closed and opened through the rocker arm 3() having an operative connection with the centrifugal governor 31 actuated by the motor 11 as by means of a belt 32. On starting the motor the weights of the governor 31v spread apart lifting the end 32 of the rocker arm 30 and depressing the other end thus opening the valve at 28 and allowing Water to flow through the valve and into the pipe 27. As soon as the motor stops the valve at 28 is automatically closed through action of tlife governor and the supply of water is cut o Y From the pipe 27 the Water flows to a chamber 35 of a by-pass control device, the chamber 35 being defined on one side by a flexible diaphragm 36, and from this chamber 35 the water passes through the pipe 37 to the water-pressure-regulating Valve 38 and thence through the pipe 39 to the tank 13. Between the intake and outlet of the valve 38 is a spring-controlled valve 'head 40 adapted to be raised by the water pressure to permit; the desired flow. By means of the screw 41 the spring pressure upon the valve head may be varied whereby back pressure in the pipe 37 and consequently in the chamber 35 may be adjusted to and maintained substantially at a given amount during normaloperation. Thus,

although the water pressure in the pipe 25 may be quite high the regulating valve 38 may be adjusted so that the pressure in the chamber 35 may be quite low, and regardless of the pressure in the pipe 25 that in the chamber 35 may be predeterminedly lower if desired.

Pipe lmeans are provided forming a bypass or shunt between the high-pressure side and the low-pressure side of the refrigerating circuit. The by-pass pipe 45 leads from the high pressure side to a chamber 46 in the by-pass control device and thence through the pipe 47 to the connection 48 which is common to the three pipes 517, 18 and 47 and places them in communlcation with each other. It is thus clear that pressure from the desired A the high-pressure side may be diverted to the low-pressure side of the system and the pressure between the two sides equalized if desired or at least the pressure of the highpressure side materially reduced.l

The valve atV 50 controls the flow of the refrigerating medium into the chamber 46. The' valve 50 is shown as closed in the drawings, which isits norma] position when the .refrigeratingsystem is in normal operation. The valve 50 is held closed partly by the water pressure in the chamber 35 whichv moves the diaphragm 36 upward slightly, thus moving the pressure-transmitting pin 52, the bar 53, the short rod 54, the diaphragm and finally the valveV 50, the diaphra m 55 constituting one wall of the cham er 46. The diaphragm 36 has a relativelylarge area compared with that Aof the diaphragm 55, and therefore a relatively low water pressure in the chamber 35 will balance a relatively high pressure in the pipe 45 and chamber 46 reacting against it.

The vbar 53 is mounted loosely enough at 58 for slight swinging movement, and its other end is carried by a headed bolt 59 having the expansion spring 60 adapted to force the bar 53 in an upward direction as the device is illustrated. The pressure of the spring 60 may be regulated by the nut The function of the bar 53 is to cooperate with the pressure of the water in the chamber 35 in maintaining the valve 50 closed, `and accordingly the water pressure in chamber 35 may be considerably reduced over what would otherwise be required and the by-pass control valve at.50 is rendered more sensitive to a default of the water pressure system. Thus, for instance, the pressure of the spring 60 may be almost sufficient to maintain the valve 50 closed under the normal pressure in the pipe 45, and the added pressure of the water in the chamber 35 valve 50 closed at normal pressures in the pipe 45.

The desideratum in this respect is to have the efective pressure in' the chamber 35 plus the effective pressure of the spring 60 at least equal to the 'pressure in the pipe 45 effective to open thevalve at 50 and thus maintain the desired pressure on the highpressure side .of the system during normal operation, and at the same time these relative pressures are such that should the pressure in the pipe 45 become materially greater than the predetermined normal pressure the valve 50 will be opened all wing the excess pressure to escape through the chamber 46 and pipe 4 7 into the low-pressure side.

According to such 'construction so long as water under suiicient pressure is ii-owing through the system including the chamber designed to 'hole 65 in a wall of 35 the valve at 50 will remain closed, but onv failure of the predeterminedy pressure of the water supply in the chamber 35, either by an accidental or other obstruction in the conduit or through the stoppage of the motor, the diaphragm 36 will fall, allowing the pressure in the pipe 45 to escape into the chamber 46 and pipe 47, and thus reduce the pressure in the highpressure side to the extent permitted by the spring 60, but in any event to such a material extent as to provide the desired safety. Furthermore, should the pressure in the high-pressure Side for any reason develop materially beyond the normal amount such pressure will over come the spring 60 and the water pressure in chamber 35 causing such reduction of pressure as will bring that of the high-pressure side back to normal.

The water-pressure-regulating valve 40 is maintain substantially constant pressure in the by-pass control device 35. Since such pressure might be maintained through slight leakage at the water valve 28, or when the valve 28 is opened to permit a small flow of water to the valve 40 while not supplying enough flow to provide the desired quantity of cooling liquid in the tank 13, I provide means for insuring the openingof the valve 50 to allow for pressure escape to meet such conditions. The means illustrated are the provision of a leakage the inlet chamber of the valve 38, which hole 65 opens into a passage 66 in communication with the discharge chamber of the valve 38. A conically-pointed screw 67 controls the flow through ,the hole 66. If, therefore, the water pressure in the chamber 35 is insufficient to open the valve 40 the water passing through the system will escape through the hole 65 and the diaphragm 36 will therefore remain down and the valve 50 will remain open whereby the pressure in the pipe 45 is maintained at only such an amount as is determined by the spring 60, namely a pressure which is always low enough for safety.

The check valve 69 in the pipe 17, and preferably located close to where the by-pass pipe as 47 is in communication with the lowpressure side, prevents the excess pressure from the by-pass from entering the expansion chamber, as the coil 15, and thus avoids interference with the heat-absorbing work being done by the refrigerant in that coil, ter

and, furthermore,E it avoids the` necessity of reducing the pressure, by the .suctionof the compressor, in the relatively large space ldefined by the expansion coil, thus saving time and energy in restoring .the normal flow through the circuit.

In charging the device the valve 70 is closed and the valve 71 is vopened to the outer air. The valve 72 remains open;

resistance of the,

Thereupon the compressor is put into operation pumping the air or gas out of the refrigerating system and creating a substantial degree of vacuum therein. Thereupon the valve 71 is closed and the valve 70 is opened, and thereupon the valve 73 is opened and the charge of gas flows from the container 74 into the chamber 20 of the com-V pressor and into the low-pressure side of the system and also into the higlipreure side through the pipe 45 if the valve 50 be open. In any event, the operation of the compressor soon forces the gas throughout the circuit. Thereupon the valve 7 3 is closed and the container 74 may be removed.-

Since the pressure in the high-pressure side becomes materially reduced by escape through the by-pass as 'soon as the motor stops, the subsequent is against a relatively light lead, and this prime mover may therefore be of less capacity than if it had -to start a ainst thejfull lead,.thus saving space as we as cost in -installation and use.' The device is also safe from explosive pressures, and this is accomplished without loss dium; The automatic control of the g cooling medium promotesboth safety and economy, andthe control of pass valve by the supply of gas-'cooling medium provides means for automatically maintaining the system pressures due to a the gas.' Various other, advantages. from such provisions will readily be appreciated by those skilled in the art.

the safety-by4 against dangerous failure properly to cool starting of the motor o f the refrigerating mevWhile -I have thus illustrated and de-VA let thereof, a valve in said passageway,

the prime mover for closing said valve when mined rate.

2. In a lefrigerating device of the charac described, the combination of a condens. er, means for supplying a gas-cooling medium to the condenser, means :for forcing gas under pressure through thecondenser and back to the gas-forcing means in a circuit, a prime mover for operating the gasforcingmeans, means chamber forming part ,of said circuit, the same being beyond the condenser in the direction; o'f ow of the refrigerating gas,

means illustrated for ob,

means forming a passage-way from the outlet of the compressor to the 1n' means including means under the control of,

the prlme mover is operating at a predeterforming an expansion the prime mover 1s operating at a rate whichis below a predetermined rate.

v3. In a refrigerating device of the character described, the combination of a condenser, means for supplying a gas-cooling medium to the condenser, means for forcing gas under pressure through the condenser 'and back to the gas-forcing means 1n a circuit, means forming an expansion chamber forming part of said circuit, the same being beyond the condenser in the direction of the flow of the refrigerating gas, means for impeding the flow of gas through said circuit to form a high-pressure side and a low-pressure side therein, means forming a by-pass between the high-pressure side and the lowpressure side of said circuit, valve means in said by-pass, and means under the control of the gas-cooling medium for automatically opening said valve means when the supply of the gas-cooling medium is materially decreased.

4. In a refrigerating device of the character described, the combination of a condenser, means for supplying Aa gas-cooling medium t0 theco-ndenser, means for forcing gas under pressure through the condenser and back to the gas-forcing means in a circuit, means Jforming an expansion chambei Jforming part of said circuit, the same being beyond the condenser in the direction of the flow of the refrigerating gas, means for impeding the flow of gas through saidcircuit to form a high-pressure side and a low-pressure side therein, means Jfor Jforming a bypass between the high-pressure side and the low-pressure side of said circuit, valve means in said by-pass, means for holding said valve closed against pressurein the high-pressure side which is less than normal, and auxiliary means'under the control of the cooling medium cooperating to hold said valve closed against theJ normal pressure in the highpressure side.

v5. In a refrigerating device of the character described, the combination of a condenser, means for supplying a gas-cooling medium to the condenser, means for forcing gas under pressure through the condenser and back to the gas-forcing means in a circuit, means forming an expansion chamber forming part of said circuit, the same being beyond the condenser in the direction of the fiow of the refrigerating gas, means for im gas through said circuit to form a high-pressure side and a lowpressure side therein, means forming a bypass between the high-pressure side and the low-pressure side of said circuit, valve means in said by-pass, means for holding said valve closed against pressure in the high-pressure side which is less tha-n normal, auxiliary means under the control of the cooling medium cooperating to hold said valve closed against the normal pressure in the highpressure side, and means for regulating the effective valve-holding pressure of the cooling medium.

6. In a refrigerating system, the combination of means forming an operative circuit for the refrigerating medium, said circuit having means establishing a high-pressure side and a low-pressure side, means forming a by-pass between the high-pressure side and the low-pressure side, and valve means under the control of the gas-cooling'means for maintaining the valve closed against normal pressure in the by-pass and for a-utomatically relieving pressure in the by-pass when such pressure rises to a predetermined amount.

WALTER W. ROBINSON.

peding the flow of 

